The Man Behind the Mask
by Migalouch
Summary: First in a BM/WW series about how Batman comes to join the League and Wonder Woman finds a friend among Man's World. AU warning.
1. Making a Decision

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters associated with DC comics.

I believe an introduction and an explanation of how this story came about is in order. I have followed fic for quite awhile and have enjoyed it and never once had the intention of writing anything of my own. One day while walking back from class I got an idea for a scene in my head and as I was mulling it over I relealized I wish someone would write it. Well it only took me a few seconds to realize that my idea would forever stay in my head unless I did the actual writing myself. So with initial reluctance I decided to sit down and see what happened when I started typing, and well the following story is a direct product of that writing. I would like to remind everyone this is my first fic ever so not all the bells and whistles may be present due to me not knowing what the heck I am doing with this website.

Now to summarize this story is going to be the first part of a series (that is if everyone likes it) that deals with BM/WW. I have always seen relationships and how great ones involve two people becoming better people through their interactions with one another, so I decided that I would write a story about that. Overall the theme is mainly concerns BM and WW with other characters really only being plot devices (as of now may change in the future). Specifically, the theme of the story is growth and how Batman and Wonder Woman make each other into better people through their interactions. I will warn that the characters may seem a bit Out of Character and that I am doing this purposely. Batman will be very inhuman while in costume to an excess, while Wonder Woman will be distrusting of men, naive, and very skeptical of the modern world. My main goal is to show how they bring the best out of each other and help one another overcome their faults. The characters I write are not what you see in the cartoons or comic books, but I have not taken them to far to the extreme where they are completely unlikable (thanks to my beta reader for that acknowledgment below). If you have any questions about the entire setup or are interested for a more indepth just ask I am always open to questions. I hope everyone enjoys!

Also forgot to mention (thanks to The-Lady-Isis for pointing out) this is AU and some events have been altered for story purposes.

Huge thanks to my beta reader MGD without her I shudder to think how my story would have come out.

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Chapter One: "Initial Meetings"

It was six months after the Martian invasion that shocked the world, but most of all it let Superman see that he could not be the savior of the world alone and that a team must be formed. Six members stood in a newly constructed Watch Tower that was supplied for the new "Justice League" by the United Nations. These six heroes made up the mightiest the world could offer.

Clark Kent, Kal-El, or Superman is the Man of Steel, a hero that embodied all that was the American Way. Born on the Krypton, he was sent to Earth by his father and mother before the destruction of his planet and considered the paragon of a hero since he first revealed himself to the world. Superman is the epitome of honest, hard working, and a strict old-fashioned moral core.

John Stewart, Green Lantern of sector 2814, is an intergalactic cop, who was selected because of his ability to overcome great fear. John is an ex-marine that still embodies the no-nonsense strict work ethic of the military, which helps him in his duties as a Green Lantern. Unlike most superheroes, John does not wear a mask claiming that he has nothing to hide from the people that he protects and that they should see who protects them.

Shayera Hol, known as Hawkgirl, is the Thangarian female warrior that wields a powerful mace from her home planet. Shayera was a cop back on her home world and was stranded on Earth while chasing some criminals. She carries a no-nonsense attitude with a short temper that makes her an absolute whirlwind on the battlefield. Most impressive about Shayera is her set of angelic wings on her back that makes her a formidable aerial force.

J'onn J'onzz is the Martian Manhunter, who is the last surviving member of his race. J'onn is a powerful psychic and a man with a large heart but shows very little emotion. J'onn came to Earth, in advance of the Martian invasion, in order to warn the world of the impending attack on the planet and was instrumental in defeating the invaders. A very affective warrior, doctor, and technician, even though, he has no formal training from any Earth institute.

Wally West, better known as the Incredible Flash and the fastest man alive, is the hero of Keystone City. Wally is the kid of the group always cracking a joke to help lighten the mood but still completely dependable in a tight situation. He is the youngest of the group and usually taken the least seriously. Wally rose to the occasion during the invasion and came to help the heroes in repelling the invaders. He truly earned his stripes in protecting the Earth.

Finally, Diana of Themyscira, or Wonder Woman, is the champion of the Olympic Gods from the ancient race of Amazons. Diana departed her home, the island of Themyscira that was hidden from the rest of the world by the Olympic Goddesses, in order to defend the planet against the Martian invasion. She possesses the heart of a warrior and wishes to spread the peaceful teachings of the Amazons to the women of Earth. Diana is the new to the modern world and has very little to knowledge of the technology and culture.

These six heroes banded together during the invasion to save the planet and afterwards formed the Justice League in order to help safeguard the world against future invasions. However, there was a seventh hero during the invasion that played a pivotal role in defeating the invaders, Gotham City's Batman. Incidentally, this masked vigilante was also the topic of the current discussion on whether or not they should seek him out to become a member of the League.

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Looking around the room, Superman saw the varied traits among all of the people in the room. He was the leader as well as their heavy hitter, and GL was the most adaptive able to make anything with his ring with just a thought. J'onn was their medical and technological specialist and best suited to handle matters of the mind, and Diana was the champion of women as well as being their second strongest member. Flash was their comic relief, who kept matters light, as well as their conscience, and Shayera was their warrior spirit as well as having possessing a mace that made her the best-equipped to deal with magical foes.

The League appeared well-rounded, and he knew some of the other members agreed with him. But he also knew that they were lacking the one key, the element that brought them victory during the invasion. While they had strength, adaptability, equality, and six incredible heroes, they were only a reactionary force. With their current members, they lacked foresight. During the invasion, the only reason their victory came to pass was because a seventh hero had the foresight to come up with a plan, in case, any of them failed. Without Batman's planning, the entire world would have been lost. Superman hated to admit it, but he realized that he never would have come up with the idea himself in the heat of battle.

While he was the most knowledgeable about Batman meeting him prior to the entire invasion, he was sad to say (admit) that it was almost nothing. Batman was a mystery to the entire superhero community and was thought to be nothing more than a myth, even in his own city. What scared him the most was the methods the man used in his fight against evil. Batman's brutality was something that he had seen firsthand. Watching him break the bones of criminals, it was something that completely appalled him. However, despite his extreme methods, Superman knew that Batman had yet to kill anyone that he had apprehended. That knowledge along with the fact that Earth would be a barren wasteland without him, Superman knew that they had no choice.

"We need him," Superman stated with a tone of absolute certainty.

"We do not need a _man_, who hides in the shadows and hesitates from combat, to be a part of us!" Diana logically argued with her regal authority and an underline of scorn in her tone, "None of his qualities align with ours. Where is his sense of truth and justice? He cloaks himself in shadows. How can such a _man_ be considered a hero?"

"Whoa! Hold on there, Missy, just because he's a man doesn't mean that he's evil, too," replied Green Lantern earning a narrow-eyed stare from Diana, "I mean over half the people in this room are men, and we're all heroes and good people. Now I'm not defending him either. Don't get me wrong, a guy like that has issues and won't help civilians trust us."

"Regardless, if he is a man or not, we should definitely find out more about him. Does anyone even know if he has powers?" questioned Shayera, "Furthermore, we should, at least, try to find out who he is, so we know a little of his background."

"Yeah, like is he a nut job that just likes to dress up in tights and prance around fighting evil, or is he the kind of guy that does it because he wants to score some hot chicks," Flash quipped. "I mean he's got the mystery thing going for him but not the sense of humor. Of course, that's what the girls love about me, but I can see the angle that he's going for with the ladies," he finished while smirking and pointing a thumb at himself.

"J'onn, you shielded his mind during the invasion. Can you provide any insight into who he is?" asked Superman.

"I cannot. I did not even have to scratch the surface of his mind to place the shield. I only had to go around it, and I can say with certainty that being around it was troubling enough." J'onn replied.

"Ok, let's put it to a vote. All in favor of offering him a spot in the League after we find out more about him and what he's capable of, raise your hand." At this statement from Superman, four of the six hands went up.

"I can't believe you actually want that trickster in the League. He is of no use to us and cannot be trusted!" Diana roared in shock and slight betrayal. "Be reasonable sister! We don't know his methods and a man, who cloaks himself in shadows, can only have evil in his heart," she reasoned with Shayera.

"Not all men that hide in the shadows are evil, Princess," responded Shayera, "and besides I think that there is more to this guy than any of us see. I want to find out what it is."

"I'm afraid that I agree with Diana," Green Lantern added, "We know nothing about him. Plus we're supposed to stand for good in the light of day. All I've heard about Batman is that he only operates at night and maims his victims."

"Hey, you never know how much of that stuff is true. I mean I heard your ring is from a cracker jack box," Flash says towards a very annoyed looking Green Lantern, "My point is that we all hear the rumors, but I don't think any of us actually know if any of it's true or not."

Superman interrupted before a full blown argument could form, "I say some of us go to Gotham during the day and discreetly try to figure out some information about him while others try to tail him at night to see if the rumors about him maiming victims are true or not."

"I agree, Superman. Flash, you, and I can mingle with the population during the day since you both have different identities and I can change shape," J'onn stated logically.

"Fine! Then, if we must proceed in this act, then Shayera and I will search for him during the night. We will follow him to find out what he really does," Diana added in a tone suggesting that she hoped to find him in the middle of a crime.

"Hey! What about me? You, guys, can't just leave me out of this thing," Green Lantern said looking offended that the team would forget about him so quickly.

"Oh, pipe down you, cry baby," Shayera said in a patronizing tone, "Its simple. He's seen your face because you don't wear a mask, and he could spot you easily at night. I mean how discreet is it flying while you're glowing green. Yeah, I wouldn't see that coming at me," Shayera sarcastically concluded.

Before Green Lantern could shoot back a response, Superman butted in, "She has a point, John. But that doesn't mean you can't be helpful, you can coordinate our efforts from the Watchtower and try to put together the information as we discover who he is." Accepting this, Green Lantern put his hands up in admission and acceptance while at the same time shooting a glare at Shayera that was returned with an equally satisfied grin. "Okay, guys. J'onn, Flash, and I will start tomorrow morning and see what we can figure out," Superman said effectively ending the meeting.


	2. Making a List

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters associated with DC comics

Sorry it took me so long to post this college was winding down, then I went to Daytona for a week in a school sponsered trip and me and 2,400 other college students spent a nice six days getting all kinds of smashed. But regardless here is the second chapter and I should be able to get the rest of the chapters out much faster now due to school being over.

Once again thanks to my Beta MGD for really helping me turn the pile of dung I gave her into something people can enjoy. Like I said last time all questions and comments are appreciated and encouraged.

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Chapter Two: Making a List

The next day, Superman, as Clark Kent, pretended to be running down a story on Gotham's mysterious Batman for the Daily Planet by talking to the local reporters. Wally hit the local arcades and clubs seeing what the younger generations knew. J'onn asked local authorities and frequented the older generation bars disguised as private investigator, John Jones. Unfortunately, they all came up with the same result.

"Ok team, time to check in," chimed Green Lantern from the Watchtower's monitor room, "report on what you've found."

"Well, the kids all have the same stories about someone claiming that they saw Batman, but it's all from their friend's friend. I have no firsthand accounts. They all basically agree that it's some myth made up by parents to frighten them," relayed Wally, which was muffled by the hotdog crammed into his mouth.

Superman added, "Most reporters have seen stories about him, but no one has any actual pictures. There are a couple convincing leads, but all-in-all there is just no solid evidence that he exists in the city." Clark couldn't believe the lack of information on this guy, and the fact that the media had absolutely zero evidence on him.

"It appears that the authorities have never seen him clearly according to the men that I talked to, but they have numerous stories of criminals tied up with incriminating evidence waiting to be arrested," J'onn stated. "Most of the men seem to conclude that Batman is probably more of a symbol for a group and not actually one man due to the amount of criminals found in one night. The numbers are too high for one man traveling by normal means to apprehend," J'onn concluded.

"Okay, well that leaves us basically where we started. But based on J'onn's information, we know that we can't rule out that he doesn't have some type of powers," Green Lantern summarized.

"Ok team, it's getting dark. Time to head back and let the girls take over for the night. Get some rest," John commanded through the communicator with a chorus of affirmatives coming from the other ends. Still, John couldn't help but wonder what kind of person Batman was that he effectively evaded the notice of the people of Gotham. Even his own city thought that he was a myth. He hoped that the girls would have better luck finding him tonight and maybe getting a few answers.

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That night, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl flew high over Gotham City each with an ear piece connected to a police scanner on their hips. Both split up looking for some sign of movement in alleys and on rooftops near where crimes were reported. At the same time, the two women also contemplated the crime in the city.

Shayera, who was accustomed to crime on her home planet as a former cop, was surprised but not overwhelmed by what she heard on her police scanner. Gotham was by far one of the worst cities that she had ever personally seen, but she could feel in her gut that something or someone was holding the city back from fully delving into the darkness.

Diana, who was almost in a state of shock over how many crime reports that she heard over the police scanner, had even flown down to stop a couple of intended rapes. In Themyscira, crime was non-existent, and even in other cities that she had visited the volume of criminal activity was almost pathetic when compared to Gotham. She still did not believe that Batman was a force of good and began to think that his presence was the cause for most of the crime.

Both heroines were constantly trying to find ways to catch up to Batman's activities and would hear the numerous reports of thugs found tied to a lamppost upside down. They had both even swooped down to witness these themselves. However, Batman would be nowhere in sight each time they would get to the scene. All they would witness was a couple of cops scratching their heads trying to figure out the best way to lower the prisoners while the perps jabbered in fear over a gigantic bat.

Constantly, they would hear through the night police reports, "Looks like we got another present on the corner of 5th and Sax. They're upside down hanging from a fire escape," and "Jeez, I got four guys in ski masks in the vault of Gotham National Bank tied up and scared so shitless that they ain't even making sense to each other." These reports came in so frequently that, at some points, they were starting to believe that either there had to be multiple people acting as Batman or that he had speed comparable to Flash.

Then, something happened that almost completely erased the notation that Batman was a force of evil from Diana's head. All of the sudden, in the night sky a great beam of light shot up onto the clouds displaying the symbol of a bat. This alone was not very ominous or meaningful, but what followed next completely captured the attention of both heroines. The police scanner went completely silent.

"Wonder Woman, I think my scanner is broken. I'm missing at least three-fourths of the crime reports," Shayera commented over their comm links.

In a voice filled with a slight bit of awe that Diana could not hide, she responded, "I don't think our radios are broken Hawkgirl."

John sitting in the Monitor room playing third party to the conversation quickly asked for a status report, "What's wrong? What are you two talking about?"

It was Diana, who responded first, "A light with a bat symbol shined up into the sky and almost all crime just stopped like they are afraid of who walks the night with them. The people of Gotham are afraid to do any wrong."

"Any sign of Batman at all tonight?" asked Green Lantern.

It was Shayera this time, whose voice answered him, "Plenty of signs of his doing, I've seen over five sets of criminals gift wrapped for the police, but I have yet to see Batman himself."

Shayera's statement was quickly followed up by Diana's, "Yes, this entire night has been completely useless in finding him. It almost has me believing that he does not exist at all. I think we should call it a night and decide on a better search pattern for tomorrow."

"Ok, how about you two call it a night. We can come up with some better ways of finding him tomorrow," Green Lantern concluded.

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That morning, before the girls headed to bed and the men headed out, another meeting was held for a progress report and to develop a new strategy.

"Okay, starting off, what new information did we learn last night?" asked Superman.

"Very little. We suspect that he may have some types of super powers that let him move around the city at an increased pace, but the only thing we can be certain of is that he is remarkable at remaining hidden and frightens the criminals," Green Lantern commented after a quick review of the notes from the previous day, "Also no one seems to acknowledge his existence or can for sure say that they have seen him personally."

"How do we narrow down the list of who he is? I mean those neat gadgets he was throwing around during the invasion can't have come cheap, can they?" Wally stated causing the entire room to look at him with a dumbfounded expression. "What I can be smart too?" he grumbled in annoyance.

Shayera broke the silence, "Flash makes a good point. Those things had to have cost a great deal of money, so narrowing down our list of suspects shouldn't be too hard. It can only get easier when you take in his physical build."

"We also have to take into consideration that Batman may be funded by one of these wealthy people and may not be one of them," J'onn observed.

"So, we go over the elite of Gotham and see who possibly fits the description," Diana concluded.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll use some contacts to get the necessary information in order and have it ready for tomorrow morning," said Superman and effectively ended the meeting.

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After twenty four hours of the same results as the previous day, the League reconvened in the conference room to discuss the possible candidates for Batman. In front of each member, there was a series of papers outlining the richest of Gotham with a brief summary, physical description, and some photographs.

"Ok, our first candidate is Giles McCorvin, a 25 year old, who is known for his eccentric behavior and flashy attitude," Superman read aloud.

"Dude's only like 160 pounds, and, unless he can blow himself up with a bicycle pump, there is no way he's our guy," Wally joked.

"Ok, next is Harold Javone, a 36 year old, who loves extreme sports and is into a whole manner of physical practices such as yoga," Superman read down the list.

"I would put him on the list. Physically he doesn't look right, but the armor may be deceiving," Shayera said while analyzing the brief.

"Ok, good. Let's look at some more," Superman said with some enthusiasm now that they started to make some headway.

So, the meeting went for the next hour until a particular name came up that the group had a bit of discussion about.

"Next is Bruce Wayne, 29 years old, probably the richest man in Gotham if not the entire world, known for being a notorious womanizer and quite the buffoon," Superman commented with a sense of personal insight.

"He has the money, physically matches, and seems to be in the right age range. I say that we include his name," Green Lantern remarked.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Lantern. I've seen him once or twice in public when he visited Metropolis, and the only thing I can tell you is that they weren't exaggerating the buffoon part," Superman said with a touch of disdain in his voice.

"The man has a different woman on his arm at almost every party and can't seem to find his own way to the bathroom, let alone be capable of the intellect Batman has. Trust me when I say he's not Batman material through and through."

"He does fit all of the other requirements though," Diana stated for some reason she could not fathom, "Could it not be possible you got the wrong impression of him?"

"No, trust me on this one. If you don't believe me, go look up his name in the news or on the internet. This man is hardly Batman caliber, but don't worry you'll get to meet him at the appreciation ball on Thursday when we have to thank him for helping to finance the Tower," Superman chuckled effectively ending the argument.

"That will also give us an opportunity to look for Batman as a group without raising suspicion of why we are in the city," J'onn stated.

For another hour, names were discussed, finalized, and finalized again until eventually they had a list of six names of Gotham's elite. Completing the list, they would investigate the people at the appreciation ball on Thursday. Satisfied, they finished the meeting. However, after everyone left Diana stayed behind examining the picture of Bruce Wayne in hand with a strange feeling that she could not place when looking at his undeniably handsome features. Even though, he was not put on the list due to Superman's assurance that he was not Batman material. She promised herself that on Thursday she would make a point to investigate him. It was almost as if something about him unlocked a part of her that she did know was even locked away.

Suddenly, her musing was interrupted. "Hey, are you coming to get anything to eat with me, or are you gonna just drool over those pictures all day?" Shayera said with a twinkle in her eye to let Diana know that she was joking.

"Oh, no. I was just checking if we missed anything," responded an embarrassed Diana while getting up to join Shayera at the door. "Lead the way, Sister. Some food sounds wonderful right about now," she stated, but as they were leaving the room Diana couldn't help but look back at the picture of that handsome face one last time.


	3. Arriving at the Party

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters associated with DC comics.

Once again huge thanks to MGD for betaing this for me

Enjoy!

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Chapter Three: Arriving at the Party

"Do you really expect me to wear this?" Diana's voice questioned in disbelief as she appraised herself in the mirror.

"Unless you plan on attending the party in the nude," Shayera countered with a hint of a smile.

"But the men aren't wearing anything remotely close to this. I don't see why we have to wear them," Diana argued skeptically.

For God's sake, the Princess, who normally wore a toga that barely covered her backside, was complaining about a dress that was only a hair on the revealing side. Shayera couldn't hold in a sigh while wondering how Diana could have spent so much time in Man's world without once watching TV. Compared to what the celebrities wore, Diana's dress looked like a habit. Finally, getting tired with Diana's complaining, she decided to make the decision for her.

"Fine! You want to bring them into this. Let's ask them what they think," Shayera said while pulling Diana by the arm to find the men of the League.

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Superman, who had overheard the argument, quickly commented to the other waiting men, "Oh, no! They're coming. Scatter!" Looking for any escape route, he tried to get out of being put into an incredibly awkward situation. But it was too late, the moment that the words left Superman's mouth the door to the hanger bay opened with a frustrated Shayera dragging a whiny Princess by the arm.

"What do you guys think of her dress?" Shayera asked while pushing Diana into their line of sight.

In one movement, as if they had practiced it, almost all of the men's (with the exclusion of J'onn, of course) jaws dropped opened in awe at what they saw before them. Diana, Princess of the immortal warrior race of the Amazons, stood before them in a beautiful black dress that hugged her every curve while hinting at her bosom in a way that drives men crazy. A slit cut halfway up the side showing a generous amount of leg while at the same time allowing her the freedom of movement. The men wouldn't have recognized her at first since she was dressed in such an uncharacteristic fashion for an Amazon. The only sign that confirmed her identity were her trademark bracelets.

Eventually, J'onn broke the silence, "I think you look very lovely Diana, and by the expressions of the other males in the room I believe that they wholeheartedly agree."

"I still think this outfit is unfit to wear and offers no practicality. I look like a piece of meat on display, and my mobility is severely limited. Why doesn't Superman have to wear a tuxedo?" Diana huffed in irritation while feeling uncomfortable at the attention she was receiving.

Finally, Superman snapped out of his daze and said, "Well, I would wear a tuxedo, but I don't want to take the risk of anyone recognizing my secret identity since I dress in formalwear often. Besides, John doesn't really hide his face at all, and Flash can keep his mask on with his tux."

"I do find this earthling sense of clothing very unusual but still quite enjoyable myself." J'onn stated while standing in a tuxedo like Lantern and Flash.

"Trust us, Diana. This is what people wear to these events in man's world. It's just the fashion. Besides, with you wearing that, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the men just admits to being Batman. You may even grow to enjoy it!" Shayera stated with a smirk.

"Fine, if it will help the mission, then I will bear it. But I still think these dresses are completely impractical," Diana consented with a huff, "Let's go and get this over with."

With that, the Justice League went to the hanger bay to take a Javelin down to Gotham for the ball.

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They were coming to his city. No doubt to try and discover his identity, even though, they were going to use the party as an excuse to be here. He had seen the two women multiple times over the past few weeks searching for him and trying to catch a glimpse of him in action. Thankfully, they had not seen him. Yet, he knew that they were getting closer each night. He knew that they wanted him to join the League. He could even see the reasoning behind it, but he did not appreciate them trying to discover his identity.

He also knew about the others nosing around during the day trying to find out what the people of Gotham knew. Clark Kent, or Superman, was not overly careful and almost blundering in his investigation. Clark was constantly waving around the fact that he was from the Daily Planet in Metropolis running down information on the Batman for an article. He found it so laughable that he would not be surprised if some journalists didn't figure out that Clark was Superman. Wally West was much more discrete requiring actual surveillance to follow his movements since he only talked to the younger groups. Still money with that crowd could buy anything, and he had no shortage of that. The Martian, J'onn, was the only one that he couldn't find, probably due to his shape changing ability. He still assumed that he was acting during the day since he hadn't seen him at night.

Tapping a few keys on his computer, he brought up a detailed file on each of the six members reviewing their powers and perceived weaknesses. While they didn't know is that all the while they were trying to find out information on him, he was doing his homework on them. He had very detailed notes about what their strengths and weaknesses are. Enlarging the picture of the Amazon Princess, Diana, he could not help but appreciate her ethereal beauty. She claimed that she was given the beauty of Aphrodite, and he honestly could not agree with her more. Unfortunately, he had the least amount of knowledge about her, and planned on using tonight to see what he could discover who she was. He couldn't help it when his mind strayed to thoughts of getting a chance to dance with her tonight and how she would feel in his arms. His musings were interrupted by a loud cough from behind him.

*Cough* "Master Bruce, I believe that you should not be looking at pictures of other women when your date is upstairs waiting for you to attend tonight's party, even if she is quite remarkable looking," Alfred stated with a hint of amusement.

"Just doing research, Alfred," Bruce stated while getting up and moving to join his friend upstairs.

"But, of course, sir," Alfred stated in that tone of voice that basically meant 'nice try but I'm not buying it'.

As they both ascended the stairs, Bruce couldn't help but take one last glance back at the picture of the Princess on the monitor.

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"Wonder Woman! Wonder Woman, over here!" hordes of reports shouted as she walked down the aisle being blinded on all sides by the flashes of camera.

_Hera give me strength, _Dianathought as she walked down the red carpet towards the entrance praying with every step that she could keep her fake smile plastered on her face while imagining satisfying thoughts of crushing all of their flashing cameras. Diana's impatience was only compounded by the dress she was wearing; she could not understand how women could wear these garments and still have an ounce of self respect. Admittedly, she realized that the togas on Themyscira were more revealing, but those were not meant to be worn in the presence of males. Originally, she thought that Shayera was lying playing a joke on her by making her wear the dress. However, once she arrived at the ball, she realized that all of the women were wearing similar gowns and some were MORE revealing then hers. In fact, some were so bad that the women were practically naked. Finally, she reached the front doors and with a deep breath. With a mental reminder that she was on a mission here, Diana walked into the ballroom to confront Gotham's elite.

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Bruce saw her the moment that she entered the room. It would have been impossible to miss her with the way she looked. It felt almost as if someone had turned on a light in a very dark room. He had no other way to describe it; she made everything brighter. While he along with every other male gawked at her in amazement, his mind formulated a plan to speak and find out more about her. Then, his date Sasha or Sophia or something that started with an 'S' commented with disdain, "Hmmph! I wonder where she got her work done because there is no way that body is natural."

Bruce gave her a reassuring smile while at the same time wondering what it would be like to actually have a date that was intelligent for a change. He knew that he could not act too fast for fear of being too obvious in approaching her and decided to wait an a few hours or so before introducing himself. After all, he had to at least make it look like he was drinking before he approached her. Bruce assumed that if anyone in the League had some intelligence that he would be on their list of suspects. He had to undeniably make it seem like he was incapable of being Batman. He had to appear to be too intoxicated and too busy with his date later tonight to be able to operate in any manner that required coordination. Brushing his hands on his pockets to make sure he had his mouth spray that would give him that alcoholic breath and steeling his nerves to put on his inevitable playboy act, he settled down to wait for the right moment.


	4. Introductions

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters associated with DC comics.

Thanks to MGD for betaing as always makes my story leaps and bounds better.

Once again questions concerns comments feel free to hit me up love the reviews so far.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Four: Introductions

After an hour or so of mingling with Gotham's elite, Diana realized a few things: she liked champagne, these the men were pigs, no one fit the profile of Batman thus far, and, most frustratingly, she had yet to corner Bruce Wayne into a conversation. Diana had seen him within the first five minutes of arriving and had kept half an eye on him ever since. Annoyingly enough, whenever she tried to maneuver closer to him, he seemed to move further away as if he was anticipating her movements. _By Hera_, it was getting on her nerves. She talked to everyone else on the list of possible suspects and had already summarily dismissed them as potential candidates. Most, she found, either mentally incompetent or physically unfit to fill the role of the Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne was her last suspect, even though, she knew other members had disregarded him due to Superman's insistence that he could not possibly be Batman.

Diana found it amusing how her fellow League members were treated. Superman was looked upon in awe, and people crowded around him like fans to a celebrity just to be in his presence. Flash darted around to everybody making jokes that received laughs from all cliques, and he had quite a number of young girls giggling in his direction trying to get his attention. John was treated as just another person until people noticed his unnaturally green eyes, which seemed to frighten them into abruptly ending their conversation with him. Regardless, he still had a steady group of military and law enforcement men and women, who had probably seen too much to care about a person's eye color. Shayera was the most annoyed of the Leaguers, which was probably due to the large group of young men that were trying to flirt with her drawn by her exotic wings. Diana had to stifle a laugh at the look of impending violence on her face as another young man reached his hand out to attempt to touch her wings. Out of all the League members, Diana felt the worst for J'onn, who people seemed to avoid like he carried the plague. She assumed people were afraid to talk to an alien that looked so much different from them. The one bright spot of hope with the matter was that an attractive Asian woman did not seem to share the fears of her peers and had struck up what seemed to be an engaging conversation with J'onn.

Diana wondered why people approached her infrequently. Unless she walked up to a group, everyone tended to leave her alone. Her isolation left her feeling slightly uncomfortable, and no one seemed to want to clue her in as to why. She had not even been asked to dance yet, not that she wanted to necessarily since she could not comprehend why the women would allow the men to lead them around the floor like a trophy on their arm. For the most part, her night was turning out to be very boring with no one wanting to engage her in any meaningful conversation. Insofar, almost all of her interactions had solely been of an investigatory nature to ferret out the identity of Batman. Speaking of Batman, she suddenly realized her last remaining target, Mr. Wayne, was no longer in sight. Diana quickly scanned his customary spot on the direct opposite side of the room to no avail. Could he have left? It appeared so, and she never got a chance to even talk to him.

"Stupid, stupid coward, Diana," she berated herself aloud.

"I don't know what you did, your Majesty, but I get the feeling stupid and cowardly could not be farther from the truth," a deep, melodic voice said from behind her. Smiling at the fact that someone actually approached her while simultaneously blushing in embarrassment at being overheard, she turned around looking into the handsome smiling face of none other than Mr. Bruce Wayne.

******************************************

Throughout the night, Bruce was quite surprised that he had to seek out and talk to the League members instead of the other way around. He watched while they all approached other possible candidates of Batman, but he was left surprisingly alone. He had no trouble disguising himself as the playboy to the League members. He even introduced the Flash to some girls knowing that no one would suspect the Batman of being able to play matchmaker. He knew that the Martian was the only one he could not approach for fear of detection, so he harmlessly suggested to a friendly how fascinating it would be to get the story of Martian origins from a native. Now, they both seemed to be deeply enjoying their conversation. One person he had yet to approach, however, was Wonder Woman.

He realized that she was trying to corner him within the first five minutes of her arrival, so he had kept on his toes ever since. Thankfully, the bonus of playing the part of a rich airhead playboy was that you get a lot of practice mingling and roaming around the room without it looking intentional. Twenty minutes after her arrival, he caught on to her knowingly sneaking glances his way making sure that she knew his whereabouts. It's not that he was nervous-that was certainly not the case because Bruce Wayne does not get nervous-but he did not want to be her primary target from the very beginning. So he sat back and watched her approach some of the other candidates for Batman, all the while knowing that he would have to talk to her before the night ended. He just wanted to do it on his terms.

After almost an hour, he saw her shoulders slightly slump and heard her sigh as she scanned the room looking at the other League members. Then, it hit him. She was feeling alienated and alone. He had not seen her dance with a single dignitary, not that an Amazon would let a man lead her around he thought. No one really had approached her to engage in a conversation. This was good. This meant she was off-guard, and her attention was elsewhere instead of on finding out about his alter ego. Also, this would give him a good opportunity to talk to her and learn what he needed.

Choosing a moment of lapse in her observation of him, he walked to the bar and ordered two champagnes since he noticed that she was enjoying hers throughout the evening. Taking the drinks, he began to walk up behind her thinking of a way to introduce himself in a non-insulting manner but at the same time seem very un-Batman like. As he got closer, he noticed her head turning frantically looking around the room, probably wondering where he went, before slumping towards her chest.

"Stupid, stupid coward, Diana," he heard her silently say to herself. Perfect.

"I don't know what you did, your majesty, but I get the feeling stupid and cowardly could not be farther from the truth," she turned around at hearing this with a smile on her face and a blush in her cheeks being happy and embarrassed all-in-one.

Having that smile turned on him was like looking into the sun. Before he could help himself, he returned the smile with a genuine one of his own instead of the fake playboy one that he had plastered on his face all night. It didn't help that she had possibly the most gorgeous features he had ever seen being what he could only describe as absolutely perfect. O yeah, he was in deep alright. Taking a breath, he opened his mouth praying that he didn't stumble over his words and said…

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Authors Note: Going to be a bit more time before the next chapter since its a bit bigger until than enjoy!


	5. Getting Acquainted

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters associated with DC comics.

Once again huge thanks to MGD for betaing this for me sorry it took a bit longer to get out but I think everyone will be happy with how it ends one more to go after this in this particular story so heres to the home stretch.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 5: Getting Acquainted

"Hi. I'm Bruce Wayne. I noticed that you looked a bit bored. Care to have a drink with me?" he said while holding out a champagne glass to her. _Hera_, this man was handsome simultaneously causing her to feel warm and breathless at the same time. But she would not back away, she represented the Amazon nation. She took a deep breath to pull herself together.

"Diana of Themyscira. Was it really that obvious?" she responded with a tone of guilt in her voice.

"Only for people that don't get lost in your eyes," he replied with a wink.

Brushing her hair behind her ear with a sigh, she claimed, "I don't quite understand why people seem to avoid me. No one cares to explain it, and I am starting to think it's me."

Laughing, he replied, "Your majesty, I can confidently say without a doubt that it is definitely one hundred percent you."

_Who did this man think he was! _Being so utterly rude, she felt her face starting to betray her. She knew her anger was obvious, but she didn't care. She wanted to throttle this man.

Seeing her impending explosion, he quickly followed up his statement. "What I mean to say is that people are intimidated by you. You're royalty, and people are always intimidated around royalty," Bruce clarified. "It also doesn't help that you're a superheroine and able to lift people over your head without much effort," he finished with a chuckle.

"Yet, you're here talking to me," Diana accused looking at him in a way that demanded an explanation.

"Well, we aren't that much different, and besides the same kind of thing happens to me whenever I leave Gotham," Bruce responded never once losing his smirk.

"So, you're saying your royalty and a superhero," Diana deadpanned deciding to play along in order to see how much more information she pry out of him.

"I am definitely not a superhero. Personally, I think you are all crazy for dressing up in tights and flying around risking your lives. As for royalty, I may not officially belong to any monarchy, but I happen to be considered the Prince of Gotham by some," Bruce replied.

"You're saying that you don't envy the hero life, Mr. Wayne," Diana asked wanting to see his reaction.

"Call me Bruce. No, I don't envy your lives. I give more than enough money to make a difference, and I still get to have all the fun I want," he said while signaling a waiter for more champagne.

"So, you're a prince and battle evil with your checkbook?" Diana asked with a hint of amusement.

"Precisely and so far, I haven't gotten any complaints. Don't forget, your Majesty, I have plenty of time to play," Bruce replied causing Diana to laugh at the statement.

"That's enough about me. Tell me about yourself. What brings Wonder Woman to the modern world?" Bruce asked turning the questions on her. Diana allowed him to continue figuring that she had just as much opportunity to get information out of him if he was comfortable around her.

"The Martian invasion was felt even on Themyscira, and I couldn't sit by while the world was crying out for aid. I couldn't stand by and do nothing, especially since my goddesses gifted me as the champion of the Amazons."

"So, you chose to help the men of the world that you so despise," Bruce asked in a way letting her know that he meant no offense but was just curious.

"Truthfully, I did not come for the men of this world but for the women. I knew that they were going to be hurt by the invasion, and I could not let my sisters suffer," she responded honestly wondering how he would take the news.

"So, I guess we can consider it an ironic bonus that you helped us men while helping the women. You really have it in for us, don't you? If you don't mind me asking, what is so bad about us men?" Bruce said without any malice in her voice, which surprised her.

Usually, when she made a statement like that, the men would get a look of disgust on their face that suggesting that they thought she was a fool. "Men have severely wronged women as far back as written history treating them like property instead of the self-thinking independent people that they are. Also, the history that I have read so far makes women seem like they played no significant part and, in fact, were a hindrance to men in the progression of the world," she said feeling the passion within her rise as she started building her case. "Can you deny that men have oppressed women for centuries and even now are in a subservient position to men in several areas today's world?" she waited for his inevitable pathetic defense knowing she would be able to contest any argument that he could muster.

"I never said that I denied it," he replied while watching her face as it turned from a mask of anger into a shocked expression.

"Men have oppressed women throughout history. It even goes on today, but you shouldn't think that all women have been completely powerless in history. You should read up on Sappho, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, both Queen Elizabeth's, Catherine the Great, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Indira Giadhi, and even Oprah in today's world just to name a few. If you ask any married man who really rules that relationship, and if he says him he's just lying through his teeth," he actually conceded her point much to her further shock and brought up some names, which she only had heard a few. Apparently, Bruce Wayne was more intelligent than he let on.

"There is some intelligence behind that smile, and I think that little speech that you gave earned you the right to call me Diana," she found him more and more interesting as they talked. She figured that he deserved to call her by her first name since he wasn't as chauvinistic as the rest of the people she had met tonight.

"Well, I am honored that a lady such as yourself deemed this humble man worthy to address you in a more intimate way, Diana," he teased with an irresistible grin on his face the entire time assuring her that he wasn't being sarcastic. "Tell me, Diana, I've noticed you mingling, laughing, and even blushing tonight, but I have not seen you dance yet. Do you know how, or were you just waiting for me to come and ask you?" he smirked.

_Damn him and that small little grin of his!_ For some reason, his grin tugged more at her the more time that she talked to him. "I took dance lessons when I was told that I would need them for events, but I refuse to be led around the floor by a man as some kind of trophy," she was surprised by him. He seemed to have the courage or a complete lack of shame; he was so open and actually flirted with her.

"That's an easy enough problem to fix, so it looks like you're about to have your first dance with a man in this world," he said standing up and offering his hand to her.

"What do you mean it's an easy problem to fix? I don't see anyway where I don't look like your arm candy out there," she was now just confused by his statement. As she glanced out to the floor, she saw the same thing that she had seen all night prosperous older businessmen gliding across the floor with scanty clad women that could easily be mistaken for the daughters.

"It's simple, Diana. You know in this kind of dancing that someone leads, right?" he continued at her nod, "So, how about I let you lead until you're comfortable enough out there for us to switch off every now and then. Deal?"

At this statement, she couldn't help but give brilliant smile at his thoughtfulness. He was willing to sacrifice his image in front of the elite of Gotham, just so she could have some fun. With that offer, she could only say one thing, "Deal." She stood and took his offered hand.

When they got to the dance floor much to the surprise of everyone, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you don't mind all of these people . . . your friends seeing you follow the lead of a woman on the dance floor? Won't your date be upset?"

"Diana, I could care less about what my 'friends' think since I'm the one who got you to dance and not them. As for my date, she looks like she's too interested in Flash to notice the two of us," he said this as he pointed over to where his date was blatantly flirting with the Flash, who seemed to be greatly enjoying it.

"May I have this dance, your Majesty?" he inquired while tossing her a wink. His formality made her laugh as he stepped forward taking her hand and putting his other one around her waist while she put hers on his shoulder.

With his hand around her waist, she felt a surprising sensation that she couldn't quite name. It was a feeling that made her stomach warm, her breath short, and her heart beat like she was charging into battle. After a couple seconds of standing motionless, his grin came back and said, "Diana, it's customary for the person, who leads, to start the dance."

Blushing in embarrassment, she took the first step. Then, they moved together as one around the dance floor. He was much lighter on his feet than her since he had been doing this for much longer, but he never flaunted it once. When she stumbled or forgot a step, he would catch her with the hand on her waist and guide her in the right direction. As soon as she was back on course, he let her pick up the lead again. Diana found that she was really starting to enjoy the dance after the first song. As they waltzed into the second song, she couldn't hide the smile that was plastered on her face.

She knew Bruce had a horrible reputation as a womanizer and drunkard before she even arrived in Gotham. Superman made a point to mention it, but those traits were surprisingly absent while he was with her. He seemed very caring, intelligent, understanding, and extremely polite with a hint of flirtatiousness in his manner. After contemplating his traits, she realized that he was definitely out as Batman simply because they had nothing in common besides intelligence. While Bruce was polite and understanding, Batman was arrogant and cold towards others. While Bruce fit the physical description, which she deduced from the muscular physicality of his body, his personality contrasted too much with Batman's. Now that she thought about it, she fought the urge to laugh aloud at the inaccuracy of her earlier suspicion.

"I hope that you're not laughing at my expense, Diana, because in today's world it's rude to laugh at your dance partner."

"No, I was just thinking that one of the reasons I came was because I had this absurd idea that you may be Gotham's Batman."

She was glad that he started to laugh when she told him her thoughts. "Diana, I must say I am flattered that you would even consider me to be Batman. If I thought I could get away with it, I would actually encourage the thought. If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide I'm not eligible to be Gotham's Dark Knight?"

"Your personality. Batman is dark, rude, always thinks he's right, and completely uncaring to another person's situation. Don't mistake me. I mean he is extremely competent, very dedicated to his cause, and intelligent, but I haven't seen him even show a hint of humanity. It's just almost impossible to image him being at a party, talking to people, enjoying himself, and dancing with someone like us here tonight."

"Well, in that case, I will take it as a compliment. You seem to know quite a bit about Batman. I can't imagine him having many friends."

"Actually, I know almost nothing about him other than what I learned during the Martian invasion, and even then he never talked about himself. We have been searching for him for a couple weeks and so far haven't seen any trace of him other than his handiwork with the criminals. What's very strange is that everyone that we've talked to in the city seems to think that he's not even real or that _he_ is actually a group of people. We want to invite him to the Justice League, but we just can't find him to let him know." Diana knew she was being a little open with Bruce. But nothing she said was really confidential knowledge, he may have some knowledge about Batman since he seemed in touch with the city.

"I don't know too much about him myself, but I do believe I can help you with confirming his existence." Diana raised an eyebrow at this wondering what information he could have. "If you ask some of the older attendees of these parties, they can vouch for that as well. You see when Batman first showed up in Gotham, he actually crashed a few of our parties to prevent a few robberies and kidnappings. From what I remember, I believe it was the same man since he always looked the same and had the same voice." Bruce told her all of this like it was common knowledge. He didn't realize that the knowledge that he just gave her was more than the rest of the League collected in the weeks they had been looking for him.

"Bruce, do you realize that you just gave us more information about Batman than the rest of the city combined?"

"Well, like I said, Diana, you just need to know who to ask," he said with a smile. _By Hera, it only made him more appealing._ She was incredibly happy to have met him tonight since she was immensely enjoying his company. The information about Batman only felt like a bonus.

All of the sudden, a crash was heard from across the room. As they both turned to look, they noticed Bruce's date had fallen over onto a table and had caused a number of dishes and wine glasses to break on the ground.

"Well, I better get over there and take her home before she breaks anything else that I'll have to replace. It was a pleasure meeting you, Diana. I hope to see you at more of these events," Bruce said while taking her hand and kissing it causing her heart to beat a little faster. As he walked backwards to his date, he said, "Don't be a stranger. If you're ever in town, stop by the manor or my office." With that, he turned and walked over to where his date was trying to extract her body from the debris that she created. As he was walking across the dance floor, she couldn't help but think that there was at least one man in the modern world, who wasn't so bad.

*****************************************

_Well, that worked out much better than I thought it would_. At first, he was all ready to approach her with his silly drunken playboy act, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it when he saw her sitting there by herself. Seeing her so isolated and lonely, it just reminded him of his life, and how he was constantly alone after the death of his parents. That is when he decided that he would do his utmost to help her enjoy the night and get into her good graces. Enough where he could hopefully dissuade her from thinking that he could ever possibly be Batman while pumping her for information about what the League had found out regarding his alter ego. His plan worked to perfection, and he had no doubt that when she relayed the events to that he would write it off as just another typical Bruce Wayne attempt at seduction. The only thing he did not plan for, however, was the fact that he enjoyed himself more than he had in years while talking to her. Finding a woman of such intelligence and beauty while at the same time being courageous and possessing such strong character was completely surprising.

He expected her to be completely uncompromising in her position like most other feminists he had ever met. Instead she was open to criticism on her points, it seemed that she wanted to follow up on his advice to study some of the strong females in history. Overall, he was incredibly surprised to find such intelligence in her, and her assimilation to man's culture occurred very quickly since the Martian invasion. When she first arrived, she was very stubborn, rash, and completely uncompromising of any approach but a full frontal assault. Now, she seemed to be willing to learn the modern culture while at the same time not losing an ounce of her spirit or conforming to the society around her.

When he got to his absolute disaster of a date, he looked at Flash with a grin and asked, "You're not trying to steal my date away from me tonight are you?"

"Just kept her company while you were dancing. She's all yours, again," Flash made a hasty retreat not wanting to deal with a drunken super model that looked on the verge of tears. Luckily, he knew how to diffuse these types of situations through years of practice

"Sweetie, how about I take you back to your place, and we can continue the party there?" he said helping her stand up and brushing her unruly locks behind her ear.

"Oh Brucie! You're just too much," she giggled while she stumbled into his arms unable to keep her own balance. _God, her voice was annoying._

Escorting her out to the car, he beeped Alfred to let him know that he was on his way. He actually had to carry her the last fifty feet to the car as she passed out when they got outside. At least, it prevented him from having to come up with an excuse to ditch her. When he got her in the car, he sprayed her with a very mild sleeping agent to prevent her from waking up during the ride. When he was confident that she was truly under and not waking anytime soon, he slipped fully into the Bat.

"Let's drop her off quickly, Alfred. Then, I need to prepare for a meeting with the Justice League," he said.

"I assume that you successfully dissuaded any of them from believing that you are Batman, Master Bruce," Alfred questioned as much as he stated glancing back to his charge in the rearview mirror.

"Most of them are fools. All but one did not even suspect me of being Batman. If that is the evidence of their investigatory work, then they are in desperate need of my help. I did manage to glean that they know nothing about me and have been trying to seek me out to join their League."

"Most of them, Sir?" Alfred always caught onto the smallest things. It seems that one can never take the spy out of the man. His instincts and senses were as sharp as ever.

"Wonder Woman suspected me, but I made her think otherwise by putting on an act completely contrary to Batman," he stated.

"You mean that you were polite, caring, and all around charming, Sir," Alfred said in his tone that bordered on mocking but was just polite enough for him to not be called on it.

"Yes," he ground out wishing that sometimes Alfred wasn't so damn insightful.

The rest of the trip to the hotel was made in silence and together they moved his date to a ritzy penthouse. Once they were inside, they proceeded to destroy the room to make it look like a wild after party involving all kinds of debauchery took place. Finishing up with that, Bruce put on his cape and cowl, gave a nod to Alfred, went out to the balcony, and took to the night. He had much to do tonight to prepare for the inevitable meeting. He had carefully prepared for this night. His suit contained a powerful sound device that masked his heart beat, and his cowl was lined with lead to foil Superman's x-ray vision. His only worries were the Martian's telepathy, and the small chance Diana may be able to recognize him from earlier tonight. He had prepared a location to meet with the League. Now, it was just a matter of luring them there.


	6. Making a Connection

Disclaimer: I do not own any part or characters associated with DC comics.

Here it is the final chapter of my first story. Now so everyone knows this is the first installment of a series I plan on writing. So remember I have more ideas in mind for future works. Thanks for everyone that has reviewed love reading them and well I hope you all enjoy this story.

Once again huge thanks to MGD who helped me finish my first story ever! Pure awesomeness on her part!

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Chapter Six: Making a Connection

Diana and the other five members of the League stood on a rooftop in Gotham after leaving the party. It was around two o'clock in the morning. They took a small break, changed into their costumes, and regrouped on the top of one of the skyscrapers in the city. Their ultimate goal tonight was to search for Batman as a group knowing that the chances of him evading all six of them were drastically lower than avoiding Diana and Shayera. Right now, they were going over the finer details of the search plan and last minute reminders. However, Diana in a rare moment was having trouble paying attention.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to the party; more specifically, they drifted back to Bruce Wayne and the enjoyable evening spent dancing and talking. As the group gathered, it seemed like everyone had a word of advice. Flash teased her about finally finding an interested mortal man and asked her when the wedding was. Superman continued to warn her about Bruce and how he was probably just trying to sleep with her. Shayera congratulated her murmuring something about if she 'got some' that she wouldn't be so uptight all the time. _Whatever that meant._

There was no denying that she found Bruce to be attractive, but she found his companionship to be what drew her towards him. Here was man, who posed no physical challenge to her, challenged her mentally instead, sacrificed his pride to make her feel comfortable, and treated her as an equal, not as an inferior or superior, without a hint of fear. He acknowledged her naivety towards man's world with grace, and all the while he never tried to patronize her by thinking that he had to explain everything. When they were dancing, she would occasionally stumble. He would guide her gently as if saying 'we all struggle it's what makes us human', and he never once complained or insisted on taking the lead from her. Suddenly, her musings were disrupted by the police scanners, which were attached to their belts, going nuts.

"Holy hell! This is Officer Gerald. I was in pursuit of a purse snatcher, and the guy just got yanked up into the air in front of me . . . OH, MY GOD! I THINK IT'S THE BATMAN! I'm off 5th and Chambers, and I see a shadow moving west along the rooftops. I repeat there is a shadow moving west along the rooftops from 5th and Chambers," the scanners alarmed.

"Alright, Justice League, let's move," Superman proclaimed while lifting off to the air with Diana as the rest followed close behind them.

While flying in the direction of the report, Diana couldn't help but recall the nightly adventures of the past week. _Shayera and she had not seen hide-or-hair of Batman; nor had any of the police in the city for the past week. All of the sudden, he compromised his stealth to capture a purse snatcher? _She felt a nagging sensation that this they were being led into some kind of trap, but she truthfully didn't care. Her blood raced with anticipation of the hunt. After days of hunting an elusive target, she was out for blood. If he had a trap waiting for them, then he would find himself unpleasantly surprised when he sprung it on them. Quickly, they surpassed the purse snatcher hanging upsides down from a lamppost and headed west in the direction Batman was reported to be heading.

All of a sudden, Shayera spoke into her commlink, "I see a figure four blocks west. It looks like it's entering a warehouse from the roof." Shayera's hawk-like vision definitely had its advantages in situations like this.

"Let's show him what the Justice League is made of!" Diana cried ignoring the warnings of her teammates. She released a war cry and raced towards the warehouse smashing through the skylights on the roof with the rest of the League right behind her.

After crashing through the roof, the six League members found themselves in a blackened warehouse. The only light source came from the moonlight allowed in by the hole that Diana created. Looking around cautiously, they scanned the darkness looking for any sign of Batman to no avail.

"I can't hear anything, not even a heartbeat," Superman stated carefully listening to the blackness of the warehouse, "He must have left already." Out of nowhere, Superman whirled around scanning in all directions.

"What's wrong?" J'onn questioned.

"I hear footsteps all around us coming from every direction. I think we're surrounded," Superman answered trying to locate the surrounding parties.

The circumstances reaffirmed Diana's beliefs that Batman led them into a trap. She vowed to Hera to make him pay for such a slight, especially if harm befall anyone of them.

Unexpectedly, the menacing voice of Batman filled the warehouse, "Gotham is off-limits to your kind." His tone brooked no argument and spoke in a manner that was more of a command than a statement.

Superman, their informal leader, decided to respond, "We aren't trying to invade your territory, Batman. We just want to talk. Nothing more, we don't want a fight."

"Then, I suggest you talk quickly and be done with it. Your presence here is a waste of time when your team could be effective elsewhere," his voice boomed out from the shadows. It was impossible to get a fix on his exact position.

Diana fed up with being trapped, and her anger at his deceitful ways got the better of her. "Face us, you coward, in honor instead of hiding in the shadows like some thief!" she yelled out to the darkness.

"Ask and you shall receive, Princess," the singular voice of Batman came from behind them.

As they whirled around to face the direction of his voice, an object that was comparable to a wraith materialized out of the shadows. Diana swore that he must have the power of flight considering the way he floated into view without a sound or even a dip in his stride unlike a normal man. He stood tall unhindered by the combined power of the League with the white slits of his eyes frighteningly empty. The eyes of the shades in Hades held more emotion than this man. As she opened her mouth to yell at him for his disrespectful tone, Superman interrupted her.

"We just have some questions, Batman, and an offer for you," Superman stated in his gentle tone that drew everyone's attention.

"Ask your questions, make your offer, and leave! You are not wanted here!" he commanded. She could not imagine his voice being any more emotionless than it currently was. His complete lack of emotion and care grated her nerves. If not for the vote that they had taken weeks ago, she would have already launched herself at this fiend before her.

"First, we would like to know who you are. We are aware of the capabilities of everyone in the League, and now we would like to know what you can do," Superman explained hoping to obtain the information the League needed. Learning more about him was something that they had all agreed on simply because they knew almost nothing about his capabilities and powers.

"What I am or am not capable of is none of your concern. If the rest of your questions are of that nature, then make your offer since they will not be answered," his statement was no nonsense straight to the point and completely infuriating to Diana. Everything this man did just seemed to enrage her, even the way he stood there before them without an ounce of concern, honor, or respect.

"If you're not willing to share any information about yourself and your powers, then I am sorry. We are going to have to find out ourselves," Superman gave him an ultimatum hoping that Batman would give in not forcing them to resort to other measures.

At this statement, Batman released a low chuckle that sucked whatever heat remained in the building out of the air chilling them all to the bone, "Do you mean like you have been trying to accomplish for the past four weeks?" At their looks of shock, he continued, "Don't be surprised. I have known of your movements in my city from the start. While some of you tried to track me during the nights, the rest sought whatever information you could find through more conventional channels during the day. I let it persist because it was only a few of you at once. It was almost amusing to watch and quite simple to stay out of sight. But your presence threatens my position in Gotham, I cannot tolerate it any longer. Make your offer and leave!"

"You leave us no choice with this decision. I am truly sorry that we must do this," Superman squinted his eyes minutely fixating his X-ray vision on Batman's cowl. Suddenly, his eyes widened in surprise, "He has lead lining his cowl I can't see through it! J'onn, you have to read his mind."

J'onn's eyes began to glow in the manner that they did when he tapped into his telepathic powers. Diana impatiently waited to see the look on Batman's face when J'onn started to recite all of his personal information. As she was mentally prepared for the satisfaction of his plan backfiring, J'onn without warning yelled out in anguish falling to his knees and clutching his head unable to get enough air. Looking from J'onn to Batman, she immediately went on the offensive flying towards him while threatening, "You'll pay for what you did to him!"

As she rushed towards him, she had to admire his courage since he did not even flinch at her advance, but he may just be a complete fool. As she raised her hands over her head to deliver a powerful two-handed strike, his hand unfurled lightning-fast from underneath his cape. Diana watched as a ball hurled towards her arms and minutely shifted position to block it with her bracers without giving it a second thought. To her horror, it exploded releasing a bola that quickly ensnared her arms together sapping her powers. It took a lot of strength to contain her shock. Somehow, he knew the weakness of the Amazons, and her anger had made her an easy target. Losing her power of flight, her forward momentum kept carrying her right towards him. Expecting to feel the impact of the floor, she closed her eyes and braced for the hit. Instead of feeling the impact on hard concrete, she felt two hands catch her absorbing some of the force of her momentum. Her head thudded into his chest. Immediately, she started to struggle to escape his grip, but without her strength and her tied hands he easily restrained her.

Before the rest of the League could jump in to assist her, J'onn, who had recovered enough to speak, shouted, "Stop! He did not mean to harm me!"

Diana stopped struggling when she heard this confused at what J'onn could possibly mean. She looked up and saw his white lenses looking at her teammates without an ounce of fear displayed on his face. She could not imagine what kind of powers or courage this man must have to look at the worlds' five strongest warriors and not even have a hint of nervousness on his face.

Green Lantern's voice brought her thoughts away from her musing, "What do you mean that he didn't mean to hurt you? One moment you were fine, the next you were clutching your head screaming in pain."

"What I should say is he didn't consciously mean to harm me. I barely entered his mind when I was assaulted with pain and anguish on a level that I never thought imaginable till now. I did not think that much suffering could inhabit one mind. How is it possible for you to endure such suffering?" J'onn asked with a touch a fear in his usually monotone voice; it was the first time any of League members could remember hearing it.

"I use it against those who seek to harm others," Batman stated closely watching the others reactions.

Diana did not understand. She knew the history of J'onn's life and how much pain he endured with the lost of his race and family. Yet this man, this Batman, surpassed J'onn's suffering to the point where the Martian could not even bear it. She wasn't quite sure if he was using some type of trick in order to purposely harm J'onn. Furthermore, she wanted to know how he knew that binding her arms would cause her powers to flee her. She had only told the members of the League of her weakness, and she knew that they did not share her secret with others. As she looked up trying to see some flicker of humanity behind the mask, he lowered his gaze to her. The sight of those white lenses boring into her eyes made her want to look away, but her Amazon heritage called for her not to back down from a challenge despite that he had taken away her powers. They continued to stare one another down in silence while the rest of the League aided J'onn.

Batman eventually broke the silence whispering in a voice meant only for her ears, "Are you hurt?" It was such a simple, common question, but it completely caught her off guard coming from Batman.

She nodded her head on instinct since his show of concern left her absolutely flabbergasted. At seeing her affirmation that she was fine, he slowly and surprisingly gently lifted her back onto her feet, so she was in a standing position. When she regained her balance again, he flicked his hand and released the bola around her wrists, which fell to the floor. Without breaking his gaze since she refused to be the one to give in first, she slowly backed away until she was standing with the rest of the League.

A minute later, Batman broke the silence commanding, "State your offer! I don't have all night."

Superman sighed in resignation and looked at the rest with an apologetic shrug. He said, "We would like for you to join the Justice League since we worked so well together during the Martian Invasion. We realize that if one of us had not been present, then we would not have repelled the invasion. We need your support and skills, so the Justice League would like to formally extend an invitation to you to join us." If Batman was impressed throughout Superman's speech, he didn't so much as flinch. _By Hera! __This man shows less emotion than J'onn and considering he is human that only made it that much more unsettling._

"Gotham comes first, and I will not abandon my duties here. But if you need me-and you will need me-I will come to your aid," Batman stated as he slowly started to back into the shadows

Flash quickly foreseeing a problem questioned, "How do we get a hold of you if we need you?"

At this question, Batman's impassive façade broke and a small grin formed on his face. "Simple. Just call Wonder Woman," he said as he faded completely into the darkness without a sound.

"Call me. What does that mean?" she asked completely confused as to why he would say something like that. When she looked at the other five members, they gave her equally confused looks. Then, it hit her like lightning, and she reached down towards her waist to find that the spot, where her Justice League communicator was supposed to be, was empty.

"He stole my communicator that vile, evil, no good, trickster!" Diana raged feeling equal parts of embarrassment and fury that he took something without her notice. Slamming her fist into the ground, she let out a mighty roar of anger directed towards that impossible, deceitful man, who had by some miracle just become a member of the Justice League.

*******************************************

After he slipped out the warehouse without being seen, Batman made sure that he was at least two blocks away before he disengaged the speakers playing footstep recordings in the warehouse. He was extraordinarily surprised that his plan went off as smoothly as it did. While keeping Superman off the scent was a relatively easy matter, he had no idea that his psyche would affect J'onn in such manner. For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt for causing J'onn pain but quickly dismissed it knowing it kept his identity safe. While he was happy that his identity was not compromised, the insight on the Amazon culture was the largest victory of the night.

Seeing Diana come at him full speed and holding his ground was by far one of the most difficult things that he had ever done in his life. He saw the fury in her eyes and knew that her strike would be powerful enough to cause him massive internal injuries. A rare Greek historical text had earned his gratitude. When Diana first came to the modern world, he purchased the text, which had detailed notes about the ancient Amazons. Most of it was common knowledge taught in modern classrooms. However, there was one interesting passage that alluded to a potential Amazon weakness. He was extremely relieved that the passage was fact instead of myth, or else he would be in lying helpless in the Batcave while Alfred stitched him back together limb by limb. Still without her powers he was a little surprised at the struggle she put up. Even though he was certain that she must have felt powerless in his grip, she never let fear show. Seeing her spirit, he could not help taking her communicator just to see her reaction, and he wasn't disappointed when he heard her yell in anger from half a block away.

Still he mentally chided himself for showing her compassion in the moment and asking if she was alright while the others attended to J'onn. That question seriously damaged the image that he carefully crafted as a frightening vigilante over the years. But holding her and seeing her stare back at him, it made him ask without thinking. It was disturbing how easily she made him lower his guard. Without the cowl on, it was acceptable to flirt a little and show some emotion regardless if it was real or not. But emotion was a sign of weakness when he donned the cowl, it was one of his greatest tools for intimidation that his enemies, and even allies, believed that he wasn't completely human. An urban legend had to be terrifying, but with one look she made him slip up for the first time that he could remember.

As he sprang from rooftop to rooftop, he knew that he would have to confuse them on another day, especially Diana. Working with the League, it would help him take his mission to a larger arena, but it also was going to afford him a chance to get to know the League members and be able to learn their weaknesses in the event that anyone of them went rouge. They did not know that he had prepared for their inevitable invitation since they started to form the League. While he trusted the League to succeed, he also knew that they needed a safeguard, someone to keep them in check and to let them know when they pushed their authority too far.

Pulling himself back to the present, he once again put his full concentration towards Gotham. He could create conundrums for the League another time when his patrol was done. Until then, he could not be distracted with those thoughts. Falling into his long established routine, he focused on being aware of his surroundings and being on the lookout for danger. However, a small part of his mind refused to focus. It kept thinking back to a certain dance from earlier that night and wondered in anticipation of when he would get to see her again.

To be continued…

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Thats it hope everyone enjoyed stay tuned for a sequel in the future this story is officially completed but the series still has a way to go!


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